January 2010

Marin is away this week. She’s on vacation. But don’t worry, she reports that she’s having a miserable time. She wilts when people aren’t constantly asking her to fix their miserable lives. Without Marin, a confused law student turned to Slate’s Dear Prudence to help her out with some troubles. Apparently this law student spent […]

We’ve spent a lot of time discussing DLA Piper’s new compensation structure for its associates. I’ve assumed that DLA Piper’s changes have the support of DLA partners. I mean, we’ve received leaked memos from DLA partners defending the plan. But it’s wrong for me to think of partnerships as monolithic groups, especially at a firm […]

Litigation finance is a funding tool many companies are considering to help cover the fees and expenses related to major legal claims. We at Lake Whillans Litigation Finance have compiled a list of questions to help you determine if your client is a candidate for litigation finance.

In addition to being one of the world’s most successful law firms, Skadden is also a public-spirited one. The firm just donated $100,000 to Haiti relief efforts, for example. (More on that later.) In addition, the firm supports public interest work through the Skadden Fellowship Program: The Skadden Fellowship Foundation, described as “a legal Peace […]

Is the customer always right? In the legal profession, not necessarily. As a lawyer, sometimes your job is to talk some sense into your client — and to refuse to move forward if your client, ignoring your advice, orders you to prosecute frivolous (or borderline frivolous) litigation. Perhaps this lesson needs to be learned by […]

Add Dickstein Shapiro to the list of firms that have decided to do away with lockstep associate compensation. As of January 22, Dickstein will adopt a new merit-based compensation system. Like many firms that have abandoned lockstep, Dickstein will be using a three-tiered system, similar to Orrick’s compensation structure. Starting salary for new Dickstein associates […]

Is suing a former client for unpaid bills a wise idea? Maybe not. As John Marquess, president of Legal Cost Control, told the New York Law Journal, “If I were advising any law firm, I would tell them suing a client over fees is a no-win situation. It’s going to get you adverse publicity you […]

When I think of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), I think of, well, conservatives. When I think of Liberty University, which claims Jerry Falwell Jr. as its chancellor, I think of conservatives. So when Liberty Law School sponsors a CPAC event, I don’t expect there to be major conflicts between the two organizations. And, […]

Yesterday the United States officially halted the deportation of Haitian illegal immigrants, on a temporary basis. The New York Times reports: Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Haitian deportations would be halted “for the time being,” without specifying a time period. Immigration officials said it was clear they could be putting Haitians’ safety at risk […]

We’ve previously written about Denise Megan Bronsdon, who graduated from the (unaccredited) Southern New England School of Law and then failed the bar three times. Not surprisingly, she had some difficulty finding gainful employment. Then she wound up in bankruptcy. Bronsdon tried to get her $82,000 in student loans discharged in bankruptcy. A bankruptcy judge […]

Shortly before 5 p.m., the Supreme Court ruled against broadcast of the Proposition 8 trial, currently taking place in San Francisco. The Court split 5-4, with the majority setting forth its reasoning in a 17-page per curiam opinion. Justice Breyer dissented, joined by Justices Stevens, Ginsburg, and Sotomayor. You can read the per curiam opinion […]

* It’s a new year, time to get back to ogling Article III judges. [Underneath Their Robes] * The unwritten rules of law firm life. [Legal Blog Watch] * The IRS commissioner needs a good tax attorney. [Going Concern] * Referrals are all about trust. [Trusted Advisor] * U.K. law firms that are good for […]

Large law firms have a track record of stepping up to the plate and providing aid when major disasters strike. For example, back in spring 2008, several leading law firms made sizable donations to support China earthquake relief efforts. Last night, a major earthquake — the worst in the region in more than 200 years, […]

Welcome to the next article in our series of monthly Ask the Experts Career Development posts, brought to you by the ATL Career Center. Just a reminder that previous Career Development articles, as well as career coaching information, are available in the Resources section of the Career Center. This week, we spoke with Jordan […]

Be nice to your secretary. It’s the right thing to do. What, basic human decency doesn’t appeal to you? Alright, how about: be nice to your secretary — or else she might totally screw you over by revealing your secrets. It’s advice product liability lawyer David Gross might have wanted to take. The ABA Journal […]

We know that many law schools fudge their “employed upon graduation” statistics for the benefit of their U.S. News ranking. But I wonder what it would like if law schools reported their “still employed five years after graduation” numbers. Something tells me it wouldn’t look good. One well credentialed top law school graduate has been […]

Sometimes, helping your client avoid media scrutiny has consequences, even in England. The Lawyer reports that the lawyer who helped keep naked, sexy pictures of Tiger Woods out of the U.K. press has mysteriously left his firm: Schillings partner Simon Smith has left the media boutique weeks after winning a controversial injunction on behalf of […]

Ah, censure. It’s what politicians do when no laws have been broken but they’re still really pissed about what went down. With little debate, the South Carolina House of Representatives overwhelming voted to censure Governor Mark Sanford. The Palmetto Scoop reports: After less than 30 minutes of debate, the South Carolina House of Representatives voted […]